In Cheers, Woody Boyd is about to ask for a raise.
Instead, the manager convinces him he wants something better:
a title.
He leaves happy — promoted to Senior Bartender.
It’s a joke.
But also not really.
Over time, corporate systems learned something:
titles are cheaper than money.
Change the label, and suddenly:
- the same role feels elevated
- the same work feels validated
Nothing changed — except perception.
In my career, I was promoted once.
Junior → Software Engineer
+100€ brutto
And more responsibility, slowly added over time.
That was the moment I realized:
this game is not for me.
So I stepped out.
Freelancing → consulting → building my own path.
And if you check my profile, you’ll see this title:
Mädchen für alles
(A girl for everything — a person who does it all.)
A small, harmless rebellion.
Because titles don’t compound.
Skills do.
Systems do.
Proof of work does.
My two cents for the weekend.
